The Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture has been honoured by the Jamaican Association for Distance and Open Learning (JADOL), for its contribution to advancing distance education in Jamaica.
At JADOL’s 2005 workshop and awards luncheon held yesterday (Dec.1) at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston, the Ministry was cited for promoting distance education through its Education Broadcasting Service (1972-1981); the In-Service Teacher Education Thrust (1973-1982); and the Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE) programme, which began in 1983.
The Ministry also supported the post certificate diploma programme coordinated by the Church Teacher’s College, in a bid to upgrade teachers, who obtained the two-year teacher’s college certificate.
More recently the Ministry undertook the bachelor in education distance project with the University of the West Indies, offering some 10 programmes.
Assistant Chief Education Officer Jacqueline Cousins, who accepted the award on behalf of the Ministry, urged JADOL to develop a directory of its initiatives to benefit Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.
“We need to have them, we need to map them so that we can build on these initiatives and proceed to grow open and distance learning in the country,” Mrs. Cousins noted. Furthermore, she said there was a need to develop strategic working relationships so as to enhance key objectives as they relate to distance learning.
The Assistant Chief Education Officer also expressed a desire to see education opportunities opened up to more persons. She noted that the significant number of persons involved in part-time learning was indicative of a strong desire for further education, which was not being met.
“This suggests to me that there is a tremendous desire and a tremendous ambition among our people and a thirst for education that currently, we are not able to meet that need,” she said.
She noted that one of the ways the demand could be met was through open learning, which gives students flexibility and choice over what, when, at what pace, where, and how they learn.
JADOL is a voluntary, not for profit organization. Members include individuals and organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, who demonstrate an interest in or who have an involvement with any aspect of distance and open learning.
JADOL is actively involved in promoting, enhancing and developing the practice of distance and open learning in Jamaica for individual, institutional and national development.